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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2012-1525

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-08-15
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Heap-based buffer overflow in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x before 9.5.2 and 10.x before 10.1.4 on Windows and Mac OS X allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Heap-based buffer overflow in Adobe Reader and Acrobat allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, likely through malicious PDF files. The vulnerability affects versions 9.x before 9.5.2 and 10.x before 10.1.4 on Windows and Mac OS X platforms.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Reader and Acrobat to version 9.5.2 or 10.1.4 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted or unknown PDF documents.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
AcrobatApplication
Affected:= 9= 9.0= 9.1= 9.1.1= 9.1.2= 9.1.3= 9.2= 9.3= 9.3.1= 9.3.2= 9.3.3= 9.3.4
Acrobat ReaderApplication
Affected:= 9.0= 9.1= 9.1.1= 9.1.2= 9.1.3= 9.2= 9.3= 9.3.1= 9.3.2= 9.3.3= 9.3.4= 9.4

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Adobe product
    Open the application, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat (or About Adobe Reader). The version number appears in the title bar or about dialog.
    Affected if The product is Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader on Windows or Mac OS X.
  2. Determine the exact version number
    Note the full version string shown (for example: 9.4.0, 10.1.3, 9.3.4). On Windows, you can also check via the registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\[Version] or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Reader\[Version]
    Affected if The displayed version matches one of the affected versions listed (9.0 through 9.4.x for Reader, 9 through 9.3.4 for Acrobat, or 10.x versions before 10.1.4).
  3. Confirm the platform is Windows or Mac OS X
    Verify the operating system where the Adobe product is installed. This vulnerability affects only Windows and Mac OS X platforms, not Linux.
    Affected if The product is running on Windows or Mac OS X.
  4. Compare against fixed versions
    Compare your installed version to the safe versions: Acrobat/Reader 9.5.2 or later, or 10.1.4 or later.
    Affected if Your version is older than 9.5.2 (for 9.x line) or older than 10.1.4 (for 10.x line).

You are affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader version 9.x is below 9.5.2, or version 10.x is below 10.1.4, and the application runs on Windows or Mac OS X.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch www.adobe.com →
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Reader and Acrobat to version 9.5.2 or 10.1.4 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted or unknown PDF documents.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Acrobat/Reader 9.5.2 (for 9.x users) or 10.1.4 (for 10.x users)

  1. 1. Determine your current Adobe Acrobat or Reader version by opening the application, selecting Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat).
  2. 2. Identify which major version line you are on (9.x or 10.x).
  3. 3. For Adobe Acrobat 9.x users: Download and install Adobe Acrobat 9.5.2 from the official Adobe website or through the Adobe Update Manager.
  4. 4. For Adobe Reader 9.x users: Download and install Adobe Reader 9.5.2 from the official Adobe website.
  5. 5. For Adobe Acrobat 10.x users: Download and install Adobe Acrobat 10.1.4 from the official Adobe website.
  6. 6. For Adobe Reader 10.x users: Download and install Adobe Reader 10.1.4 from the official Adobe website.
  7. 7. After installation, verify the version by checking Help > About to confirm the update was successful.
  8. 8. Alternatively, open Adobe Acrobat/Reader and go to Help > Check for Updates to receive the appropriate patch automatically.
Caveat Adobe updates typically include security fixes with minimal functional changes; however, older plugins or workflows may need verification for compatibility with the new version.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-1525 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data